SINGAPORE: In the past two years during the pandemic, many people have left the modern aviation industry – several laid off, some by their own volition — and they may not return.
It has made staffing the particular “biggest headwind” for your sector that is within the mend, regional vice president for Asian countries Pacific at the International Air Transport Organization (IATA) Philip Goh, told CNA.
“A particular issue, of course , is experienced labour. It takes time for you to train people, ” he said. Within customer service, for instance, it takes time and encounter to learn how to handle people, he said.
If resources like manpower cannot maintain pace, airlines will have limitations as to how much capacity they can put back, he said.
“As long because capacity cannot go back to normal then you will keep probably face higher load factors, probably high airfares, ” he said.
“So hopefully, air carriers … airports can easily find the resources they have to ramp up so that they can staff members their operations sufficiently. ”
RECUPERATION ON TRACK ALTHOUGH ASIAN COUNTRIES PACIFIC LAGGING
Recovery of the global aviation industry is definitely “on track”, Mister Goh said.
This is despite the output that the global aviators industry will lose regarding US$9. 7 billion dollars this year. In Asia Pacific, this body is expected to be about US$8. 9 billion, Mr Goh said.
“As of July, we have been seeing air traffic already at about seventy five per cent of 2019 levels. This is obviously driven a lot by domestic recovery, ” he said.